Online Dating For Dummies
August 31, 2008
Whether you have been dating for years, getting back in the game, or just starting out, you could always use a bit of dating advice. Not the kind you get from your mother, but rather the kind that actually might get you past the first date, on to the 2nd and perhaps on to a happily ever after.
So you have decided to date and you are thinking about the “online dating” thing? Well, why not. To be cliche’ everyone is doing it! In today’s action packed, hustle, bustle world, who had time or energy to meet the traditional ways. Online meeting has become a norm, and is gaining in acceptability.
Writing Your Profile Many online dating services offer assistance in writing your profile, if you are not a good writer then this may be something you should consider. Before you sit down to write your profile, find out how others see you, so that you can more adequately describe yourself as you are seen. (You don’t see yourself as others do - probably) The best way to do this is ask around. You don’t have to tell anyone why - just ask for one word that describes your looks, work habits, home environment etc get a list and go from there. Chances are you will come closer to a good description of yourself that way than any other way.
Making Sense of Diamond Grading Specs!
August 30, 2008
Making Sense of Diamond Grading Specs!
by: Keith Thompson
Anyone wanting to make an informed purchase of diamond jewelry needs at least a cursory understanding of the Four C’s. These are the standards by which diamonds are graded, and ultimately determine their value. They are Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat weight. What follows is a brief description to acquaint diamond shoppers with these essential benchmarks.
CARAT WEIGHT - Contrary to popular belief, a large stone alone does not a valuable diamond make! While bigger can be better, it’s not the only factor. All the other C’s carry as much weight in the end, and be sure to use the size as a factor, though not necessarily a determining one. A carat is actually a measurement of weight, not size, equal to 200 Milligrams.
COLOR - The less color the better. In other words, everything else being equal, a colorless diamond will be much more valuable. Diamonds range in color from colorless to brown, and are ranked by letter starting with “D”,(colorless) to “Z”, (brownish) This is determined under special lighting, and does not include the “fancy colored diamonds”, as these are graded differently. In short, the clearer the better!
Focus On What Is Important ? Your Wedding Disc Jockey Choice
August 29, 2008
Your true love got down on his knees and asked you to marry him. Barely able to get the words out, you say "I Will". That is but the first of many choices you must make when planning a wedding. So many people get caught up in the buying frenzy of wedding planning, that they lose sight of the thing that really matters.
Choosing your Wedding disc jockey should not be one of the final details. In a recent survey of brides-to-be, they ranked choosing their wedding photographer more than twice as important as their Wedding disc jockey. Let’s think about this ? sure, wedding photography is important when it comes to capturing the moment. If your photographer didn’t show up ? the wedding and reception would go on just as planned. Without your Wedding disc jockey ? things come to a screeching halt. People would leave soon after dinner without the musical entertainment of your Wedding disc jockey. So why is it that people pay $2,000-$4,000 on average for a wedding photographer and they look to pay only $750 for a bargain disc jockey?
Thrift Store Shopping Tips
August 28, 2008
Thrift Store Shopping Tips
by: Sintilia Miecevole
If you are tired of seeing the same old clothing styles at mall department stores and boutiques, it may be time to add a little spice to your wardrobe. Rather than looking just like everyone else, thrift stores offer access to unique items not found anywhere else- at least not in the last twenty or so years! Not only are thrift store clothes relatively inexpensive, but they can also be ultra hip. If you approach it the right way, you may be able to create your very own personal style by mixing the old and the new.
When you first decide to embark on a thrift store shopping spree, there are a few things to remember. Firstly, a lot of thrift stores only take cash, so if you are used to grabbing Daddy’s credit card and going to town, you’ll have to make other arrangements. Some stores do take checks, so you might want to have your checkbook handy. Secondly, a lot of thrift stores do not have dressing rooms, so you’ll probably want to wear a light t-shirt so you can try on your finds right where you find them. And most importantly, you are probably not going to find anything that fits you absolutely perfectly. You can’t go in looking for “your size.” You will have to try on what looks promising and see if you can alter it in any way if needed.
Googling for Love
August 27, 2008
Google: (GOO.gul) v. To use an Internet search engine such as Google.com to look for information related to a new or potential girlfriend or boyfriend.
Have you Googled yourself yet? Can anyone resist? If you haven’t had the pleasure, here’s how:
Go to Google.com, type your name in quotation marks, and see what comes up.
A lot depends on how common your name is (like John Smith). I tend to get references to nobility (that’s the Lord part), and the genealogy citations are many. But sure enough, there’s my house in Maine (I rent it during the summer from an Internet ad) and stained glass courses that my husband Drew and I have taught. When I add my middle initial B, then the references are pure cyber romance. Yea!
Drew’s name gets his scientific publications. If I had googled him when we were courting, I would not have made the embarrassing gaff of bragging about my publications (2). He had me beat hands down. But also, that Google search would have added to his credibility, because he is cited over and over as a scientist and connected with the Army Corps of Engineers. I would have been reassured.
The Best Christmas Ever: Remembering Christmas With Emily
August 27, 2008
The Best Christmas Ever: Remembering Christmas With Emily
by: Constance Weygandt
There is nothing to compare to the wonder and magic that a child experiences at Christmas. When my sons were small, there were many such moments. The look of awe on their faces the first time they spied the brightly lit tree surrounded with presents, their first gingerbread house and cookie day, to name a few.
Thankfully, the last several years I have experienced more such moments with my grandchildren. However, this is “the best Christmas ever”, according to my granddaughter, Emily. Emily is four years old. She has a love for all things Christmas.
This year Emily was a big girl and able to help me with Christmas. She helped me to fetch and carry and place our treasures around the house. She was a perfectionist and tireless when it came to the placement of ornaments on the tree. Little did I expect that a, slightly worse for wear, sprig of green taken from the boxes would become a priceless Christmas moment. Our conversation, on discovering it , went something like this:
“What’s that, Gram?”
“Mistletoe.”
“What’s that for?”
Deciding on Divorce: How to Know You are Making the Right Choice
August 26, 2008
It’s a well known fact that in this day and age most marriages end up in divorce. When confronted with the possibility of “throwing a relationship away”, you’ll probably experience a lot of stress. There are some things you can do to decide if you are in the wrong relationship and if you need to get out.
I have written a few tips and guidelines to help you decide if you are making the right choice when it comes to divorce. This list is just a few key points that I think will help you. The list is not meant to be a complete list of all the steps you need to take, but will give you “food for thought”.
1. Is your partner/spouse abusive? If your signifigant other has abused you in the past, they probably will do so again in the future. If you are in a situation where you continue to be abused you need to GET OUT IMMEDIATELY! Abuse usually get’s worse over time. Even though it may be difficult to leave, there are many resources and support systems for batered people.
Marriage Counseling: How to Keep Jealousy From Destroying Your Marriage
August 25, 2008
Jealousy has often been called the "green-eyed monster," and with good reason. The "monster" is fueled by envy and can over time devour the trust and harmony in a relationship.
According to B.C. Forbes, "Jealousy…is a mental cancer." It spreads quickly and can be fatal to a marriage. Once it gets a foothold, the jealous spouse becomes even more jealous, often over insignificant things. Comedian Rodney Dangerfield captures what happens in these remarks: "My wife’s jealousy is getting ridiculous. The other day she looked at my calendar and wanted to know who May was."
You’re more prone to jealousy and envy when you are feeling insecure and fearful. Several years into my first marriage, I remember feeling unusually jealous of a woman that my husband worked with. The co-worker had dark, sultry looks, long flowing hair, and a figure that drove males wild. As if that wasn’t enough, she was also funny and outgoing, with great communication and social skills. At office parties, the husbands could be found circled around her, competing for her attention.
A Case for Blotter Art
August 24, 2008
A Case for Blotter Art
by: Mary Desaulniers
There are moments in our past that shape our vision. Going through my childhood photo albums, I catch a glimpse of Anna in the early grades, a quiet girl who, if she were still alive, does not know how even in grade 4, she was pointing the way to freedom of expression. There is a lesson here that comes in handy for parents and grandparents.
I have often wondered if Anna’s life might have taken a different turn had she lived her early grades in the sixties when the ballpoint pen, replacing the fountain pen, dispensed with the use of ink blotters in school. Children of the fifties, we learnt writing the hard way—with steel-nibbed pens which we dipped in ink pots and which invariably turned the writing experience into a mud-bath. It took us months to learn the art of compromise: speed meant accidental globs and splotches; if you really wanted to save time, you would be far wiser to play the tortoise.
Connecting the Past and the Present: Healing Abandonment and Abuse through Awareness
August 23, 2008
Connecting the Past and the Present: Healing Abandonment and Abuse through Awareness
by: Linda Joy Myers
Many people I work with in therapy or in my writing-as-healing classes discover stories that surprise them—stories about the mistakes they felt their parents made, power imbalances in the family, or stories about physical or sexual abuse. The darker stories are often a surprise: when writers sat down to write, those issues were not directly on their minds, but deep, revealing stories erupted from the pen. Though they were unexpected, for some they were a relief. People who have been in therapy have had the same kind of experience—the subject matter in the forefront of the mind is not the material that “accidentally” arises during the session. The therapy session begins with a particular subject in the present—for example dissatisfaction at work or trouble in a relationship, but often travels back in time with associations to parents, school, or past relationships.
It has become a cliché to talk about “dysfunctional” relationships and families, but most people do not have perfect families, and many have had to struggle with a range of problems—alcoholism, abuse—physical, sexual, or emotional, eating disorders, and depression, to name a few. No one likes to be reminded of the past but when it keeps coming up, we are pushed to learn new responses as we search for more peace and positivity in our lives.
